Dataset Information

Visual Traces of Language Acquisition in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder During the Second Year of Life.

ABSTRACT: Infants show shifting patterns of visual engagement to faces over the first years of life. To explore the adaptive implications of this engagement, we collected eye-tracking measures on cross-sectional samples of 10-25-month-old typically developing toddlers (TD;N = 28) and those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD;N = 54). Concurrent language assessments were conducted and relationships between visual engagement and expressive and receptive language were analyzed between groups, and within ASD subgroups. TD and ASD toddlers exhibited greater mouth- than eye-looking, with TD exhibiting higher levels of mouth-looking than ASD. Mouth-looking was positively associated with expressive language in TD toddlers, and in ASD toddlers who had acquired first words. Mouth-looking was unrelated to expressive language in ASD toddlers who had not yet acquired first words.

SUBMITTER: Habayeb S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8018986 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Visual Traces of Language Acquisition in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder During the Second Year of Life.

Habayeb Serene S Tsang Tawny T Saulnier Celine C Klaiman Cheryl C Jones Warren W Klin Ami A Edwards Laura A LA

Journal of autism and developmental disorders 20210701 7

Infants show shifting patterns of visual engagement to faces over the first years of life. To explore the adaptive implications of this engagement, we collected eye-tracking measures on cross-sectional samples of 10-25-month-old typically developing toddlers (TD;N = 28) and those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD;N = 54). Concurrent language assessments were conducted and relationships between visual engagement and expressive and receptive language were analyzed between groups, and within ASD s ...[more]

PMID: 33009972

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Project description:BackgroundAlthough temperament has been recognized as an important contributor to childhood psychopathology, its role in emergent autism spectrum phenotypes is not well understood. This study examined whether toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display temperamental vulnerabilities compared to toddlers with other developmental challenges, whether these characteristics are distinct from core autism symptoms, if they are stable over time, and if they contribute to social outcomes in preschool.MethodsParents of 165 toddlers with ASD, 58 nonverbal ability- and chronological age- (CA) matched developmentally delayed (DD) toddlers, and 92 CA-matched typically developing (TD) toddlers completed the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire-Supplemental (TBAQ-S) at 26 months (SD = 6; Time 1). TBAQ-S data were also available for a subset of toddlers with ASD (n = 126) at 43 months (SD = 9; Time 2).ResultsCompared to the DD and TD groups, toddlers with ASD exhibited vulnerabilities within the Effortful Control domain as well as the Surgency domain. They also displayed greater Negative Emotionality compared to TD peers. In the ASD group, temperamental characteristics were not concurrently related to autism severity or developmental level and individual differences were highly stable over time. Changes in Perceptual Sensitivity, Inhibitory Control, and Low-Intensity Pleasure from age 2 to 3.5 uniquely predicted autism symptom severity and adaptive social skill level at Time 2.ConclusionsTemperamental vulnerabilities in toddlers with ASD are stable over time and involve attentional and behavioral control as well as affective reactivity. They contribute uniquely to social outcomes in preschool and are likely to signal risk for developing later maladaptive attentional, affective, and behavioral symptoms. Considering biologically based dimensions may shed light on noncore facets of the early ASD phenotype that are potentially relevant to the emergence of comorbid conditions later in childhood.

Project description:The Rapid Interactive screening Test for Autism in Toddlers (RITA-T) is a fast and inexpensive early screening measure for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that was tested previously in children 18-36 months-old; the current validation study compared the RITA-T with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule™ Second Edition (ADOS-2). The hypothesis is to validate the RITA-T with comparison to the ADOS-2. Thirty-five individuals (18-84 months-old) identified as at risk for ASD received the RITA-T and the ADOS-2 during a single visit. Participants were split into two age groups and both whole-group and sub-group data analysis were conducted. With all participants, RITA-T scores correlated significantly with ADOS-2 total scores (P < 0.001), social affect (SA) sub-scores (P < 0.001), and restrictive and repetitive behavior (RRB) sub-scores (P < 0.05). Similarly, ADOS-2 total and SA scores were significantly correlated in both age groups, while the RRB sub-score was only significant in females (P < 0.05). Lastly, correlations using subgroups based on ethnicity were only significant in the minority ("Other") group for ADOS-2 total scores and in the Asian group for SA sub-scores (P < 0.05). Our receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the optimal cut-off score of the RITA-T was consistently at 14, with a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 89% in the combined age group with the ADOS-2 and with a sensitivity 74% and specificity 50% with the DSM-5; The area under the curve was 0.84 (95%CI: 0.69-0.99) for ASD classified by ADOS-2 and 0.89 (95%CI: 0.79-0.99) for ASD diagnosed by DSM-5. The RITA-T performed similarly to the ADOS-2 when both were administered in a single visit. Significant correlations between the measures help validate the potential usefulness of the RITA-T as a rapid early screening measure of ASD. This study helps to show that the RITA-T may be used in a larger age range than originally reported and in different ethnic groups. The study involves human participants and was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH, 2017P0000857).

Project description:ImportanceAtypical eye gaze is an early-emerging symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and holds promise for autism screening. Current eye-tracking methods are expensive and require special equipment and calibration. There is a need for scalable, feasible methods for measuring eye gaze.ObjectiveUsing computational methods based on computer vision analysis, we evaluated whether an app deployed on an iPhone or iPad that displayed strategically designed brief movies could elicit and quantify differences in eye-gaze patterns of toddlers with ASD vs typical development.Design, setting, and participantsA prospective study in pediatric primary care clinics was conducted from December 2018 to March 2020, comparing toddlers with and without ASD. Caregivers of 1564 toddlers were invited to participate during a well-child visit. A total of 993 toddlers (63%) completed study measures. Enrollment criteria were aged 16 to 38 months, healthy, English- or Spanish-speaking caregiver, and toddler able to sit and view the app. Participants were screened with the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Revised With Follow-up during routine care. Children were referred by their pediatrician for diagnostic evaluation based on results of the checklist or if the caregiver or pediatrician was concerned. Forty toddlers subsequently were diagnosed with ASD.ExposuresA mobile app displayed on a smartphone or tablet.Main outcomes and measuresComputer vision analysis quantified eye-gaze patterns elicited by the app, which were compared between toddlers with ASD vs typical development.ResultsMean age of the sample was 21.1 months (range, 17.1-36.9 months), and 50.6% were boys, 59.8% White individuals, 16.5% Black individuals, 23.7% other race, and 16.9% Hispanic/Latino individuals. Distinctive eye-gaze patterns were detected in toddlers with ASD, characterized by reduced gaze to social stimuli and to salient social moments during the movies, and previously unknown deficits in coordination of gaze with speech sounds. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve discriminating ASD vs non-ASD using multiple gaze features was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.82-0.97).Conclusions and relevanceThe app reliably measured both known and new gaze biomarkers that distinguished toddlers with ASD vs typical development. These novel results may have potential for developing scalable autism screening tools, exportable to natural settings, and enabling data sets amenable to machine learning.

Dataset Information

Visual Traces of Language Acquisition in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder During the Second Year of Life.

Publications

Visual Traces of Language Acquisition in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder During the Second Year of Life.

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